


Building Excellence is a comprehensive guide to creating and implementing effective operational processes within your construction business. Packed with industry best practices, real-world examples, and insights drawn from over 55 years of hands-on construction experience, this book provides the tools and strategies you need to boost productivity, improve profitability, and drive sustainable growth.
Grab your free first four chapters of Building Excellence today and discover the strategies top contractors use to grow and succeed.
We’ve seen countless construction companies fall short, not for lack of opportunity but because culture and execution are out of sync. Building Excellence was created to provide leaders with a clear, practical, and field-tested guide to tackle internal challenges, drive meaningful change, and build lasting, profitable success.
Michael Kanaby, Managing Partner of Profitability Works Inc., has over 30 years of experience in construction, from field positions to executive leadership in publicly traded construction organizations. His focus areas include productivity and process improvements, strategy, leadership development, and project management excellence. Michael holds a BA in Organizational Development, Masters of Business Administration (MBA), is a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (CLSBB), a Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute Construction professional (PMI-CP), holds a Graduate Certificate in Project Management, and is a graduate of the Executive Education Program Wharton School of Business. Michael is also a proud US Army Veteran.
Stephanie Simmons leads and supports client engagements around change management, sales growth, organizational communication, transformation, and leadership development. Prior to founding Profitability Works Inc., Stephanie worked within a large global publicly traded construction company and led organizational transformations, integrating new mergers/acquisitions change initiatives while also leading a large part of the sales organization in North America. Stephanie served 24 years in various roles within trade contractors in sales, general management, and leading organizational transformations. This experience has offered her unique capabilities to assist teams in implementing change to improve profitability. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, is a Certified Coach, and is trained in ADKAR© Change Management methods.
When we first started looking at process improvement, we knew we needed to make changes, but we lacked a clear roadmap. That all changed when we worked with Profitability Works. Instead of just giving us recommendations, they used real world scenarios to analyze, implement, and sustain the strategies outlined in Building Excellence. Furthermore, they gave our people the foundations to treat their book of business as their own. Prior to working with Profitability Works, our processes and procedures varied greatly from location to location. To no surprise our results also varied greatly from location to location. Through their guidance, we learned how to identify inefficiencies, standardize our workflows, and create a culture of continuous improvement. Their detailed training gave our people the tools and confidence to improve our business dramatically. Since implementing what we learned, we’ve seen significant improvements in forecasting, change order management, and overall project execution. But the biggest benefit is that we now have the skills to continuously refine and improve our business—without relying on outside help. That said, knowing that Profitability Works is always available when we hit a roadblock has been a huge advantage. Whenever we get stuck or need guidance on a specific challenge, they’re just a call away, ready to help us troubleshoot and keep things moving forward. Thanks to Profitability Works, we’re not just running our business—we know our business inside and out, with expert support whenever we need it. If you’re serious about building a more efficient and profitable company, this process works.
Our relationship with Profitability Works commenced in 2021 and continues to evolve. They have been instrumental in training our project management teams on operational best practices from design to implementation, the same process outlined in Building Excellence. Their construction industry knowledge & advice is deep, practical, and easily actionable. They listen to our challenges, speak our language and tailor practical learning exercises to match our needs—cutting through theory and delivering real-world guidance that our PMs can immediately leverage. The training has significantly accelerated our PM maturity, elevating our team’s thinking around project delivery, communication, and accountability. For construction firms looking to grow profitably and sharpen their operational edge, Profitability Works is a strategic partner worth investing in.
"Building Excellence, as taught by Mike, changed how I lead." Years ago, Mike trained me on the framework in Building Excellence. When I became CEO of a new company, I followed the same approach on my own. It worked—but it took years. I underestimated how much faster and smoother it would’ve been with Mike and his team guiding the way. If you know things could run better, don’t piece it together alone. Bring in someone who’s done it before and can get you there—fast.